Read, Think, Pray, Live: A Guide to Reading the Bible in a New Way

by Tony Jones

Book Overview

Tailored for students, this book teaches them how to engage their faith. Learning from writings used for hundreds of years called lectio divina, students will be challenged and encouraged to get to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576834530
• ISBN13: 9781576834534
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group
• Length: 154 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.4" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Great intro to lectio divina

Provides a great and accessible introduction to the practice of lectio divina, with explanations of the major components of the practice and examples of exercises for individuals and small-groups to get you started. I also strongly recommend "Eat This Book" by Eugene Peterson as a follow-up and for deeper study.

A Book That Could Revive Your Encounters With Scripture

Tony Jone's ideas on reading the Bible in a new way are a fresh wind of air blowing through a dusty warehouse. In my seminary classes, we store, and store, and store up Biblical information, that I often feel starved for a good personal Word for my life, and my community. Tony has laid out a way that is doable, but not formulaic nor shallow. This is primarily because he views the Bible not as a puzzle to sort out or a cadaver to dissect, but a living breathing encounter with God using the Bible to meet us. Tony's encouragement to use the oratio time in reading the Bible to express one's feelings with frankness is helpful to many. Its also completely in line with what I've seen again and again in reading the Psalms since my college days. Tony's analogy that lecticio divina (Bible meditation) is difficult for some to adjust to, just as gourmet cooking is a challenge if one has always been eating junk food was an excellent point. We need the understanding that valuable results from reading the Bible in this way are not an easy formula to follow, but a discipline to learn. The frank, honest aspect of oratio could be well illustrated to a class encountering these methods for the first time, by reading some of the raw, emotional psalms. People need to face these human emotions in prayer and Scripture so that they understand the Bible cannot be studied in merely an academic way. The view of the Bible as living could be helpful in encouraging people to view their study of Scripture as a spiritual encounter with mystery. This could lead to their prayerful dependence on God while reading Scripture. Another aspect to benefit students is the slow and out loud reading of Scripture. After time, this can affect our understanding that the Bible still speaks and is not static. Reading aloud also helps students encounter the Bible in the way which most people throughout church history would receive the Bible-through the ear. Some books like Mark, are well designed for this oratorical style and depend on their full meaning to come out through reading aloud. This book is keenly relevant for people today, yet rooted in the wisdom of the past.